The patent for the Jeep recently turned 75 years old.
Issued on April 7, 1942, United States Patent No. 2,278,450 is titled “Military vehicle body,” according to the IP Watchdog. The patent itself describes the versatility we’ve come to know Jeeps for, showing just how visionary it was at the time it was conceived.
“One of the principal objects of the invention is to provide a convertible small car body so arranged that a single vehicle may be interchangeably used as a cargo truck, personnel carrier, emergency ambulance, field beds, radio car, trench mortar unit, mobile anti-aircraft machine gun unit, or for other purposes.”
It’s fascinating to see how the Jeep, largely in its original form, has stood the test of time. Recently, the automotive industry has reached a patenting renaissance of its own. Ford is churning out intellectual property hand over fist, and of course, the development of autonomous vehicles has led us down an entirely new rabbit hole when it comes to car patents. It makes one wonder: can anyone patent automotive technology in 2016 that will hold up as well as the Jeep patent?
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